What Happened In Junagadh In 1947? The Story Of Last Nawab Who Fled To Pakistan With Family, Riches, And Dogs
When British left India, all princely states were given the option to join India, Pakistan, or stay independent. Junagadh, ruled by Nawab Mahabat Khan III, had decided to accede to Pakistan.
Ahmedabad: Is Junagadh under illegal occupation of India? Pakistan has reignited a historical dispute by once again making a contentious claim to this effect. Its foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said last week Pakistan has considered Junagadh “an unfinished agenda”, just like Jammu & Kashmir, since 1947 when the country was divided.
“Junagadh was annexed to Pakistan. The country sees this matter in historical and legal perspective,” Baloch reportedly said in a press briefing, referencing the decisions made by several princely states during the chaotic aftermath of the British departure from the subcontinent.
Four years ago, Pakistan’s then prime minister Imran Khan had also made a similar claim when he unveiled a new political map that included all of J&K, Ladakh, Sir Creek — and Junagadh. Khan said at the time, as did then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, this would be Pakistan’s new map.
While Pakistan has continued to make this claim since 1947, India has always rejected it, citing a 1948 referendum that saw people of the region vote against accession to Pakistan.
As Baloch’s claim has brought Junagadh into focus again, here is a look at the history of the princely state and its last ruler who had to flee India in 1947.
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What Happened In Junagadh In 1947?
When the British left India, there were 565 princely states in the country, and they were all given the option to join India, Pakistan, or remain independent. While most chose to be part of India, the princely state of Junagadh, along with Jammu & Kashmir and Hyderabad, became the centre of political disputes.
Junagadh, a small princely state located in the northwest of India, found itself at the heart of a significant geopolitical controversy during the turbulent period of post-Partition India. It was ruled by Muhammad Mahabat Khan III of the Babi dynasty at the time.
On September 15, 1947, the Nawab acceded Junagadh to Pakistan, despite it being geographically surrounded by Indian territory. Junagadh was a Hindu-majority Kathiawari state and he was said to have earlier given an impression that Junagadh would stay with India.
The Nawab’s decision to join Pakistan triggered an unrest, with widespread public outrage in the region. Arzi Hukumat, a parallel government of Junagadh, was formed in Mumbai, it had started to take over parts of the state.
Amid the escalating tensions, the Indian government eventually annexed Junagadh in November 1947 following a brief military operation, but the Nawab had already fled to Pakistan by then.
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When Mahabat Khan III, Last Nawab Of Junagarh, Fled India
Nawab Mahabat Khan III, who had royal palaces in Chorwad, Veraval, Keshod, Choki, and Sasan Gir also, apart from Junagadh, had an opulent lifestyle, offering a fascinating glimpse into the royal excesses of that era. He was known for his eccentricities and love for animals, particularly dogs — he reportedly owned over 800 of them of different breeds.
While the Nawab's court was famous for its extravagant displays of wealth, his affection for his dogs was legendary. He reportedly maintained air-conditioned kennels for them, with each dog assigned its own attendant. The Nawab would personally oversee the selection of gourmet meals prepared specifically for his pets. If one of his dogs fell ill, he called in British veterinarians to ensure the best care.
The most famous of these canine-related stories is the royal wedding he once organised for his favorite dog, Roshanara. The wedding, which involved grand ceremonies, saw Roshanara being wed to his Dewan’s dog, Bobby. The lavish event was held in Junagadh, and the entire state was decorated as if it were a royal wedding. Reports suggest the ceremony cost Rs 25,000 at the time, a sum that would amount to around Rs 3 crore today.
Mahabat Khan III couldn’t take all his dogs with him, though, when he fled to Pakistan, after making a dramatic departure from Junagadh.
Public resentment was growing after his decision to accede to Pakistan, and there was threat of military action by India, with then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru deploying troops around the state.
On October 25, 1947, there was a sudden flurry of activity at Junagadh’s Keshod airport. Not many reportedly knew that the Nawab had left Junagadh and come to his palace in Keshod with family, including his many wives, children and other members.
Eyewitness accounts from the time would tell how his private plane, which took off from the Keshod airport, was loaded with boxes of gold and silver. Alongside the riches were some of the Nawab’s beloved dogs seated on the flight.
While Khan III fled to Karachi with his family members, the dogs, cash, gold, silver, and other valuables, a story goes that he was in so much of a hurry to flee that he had by mistake left two of his wives behind in Junagadh.
According to reports, the assets he left behind included securities worth Rs 12.9 million with the Indian government.
On November 11, 1947, India took over the Junagadh state, which was later formally absorbed into the Saurashtra state through the 1948 Plebiscite.
Mahabat Khan III lived in Pakistan for the rest of his life, and died in November 1959, a few years after building the Junagadh House on Fatima Jinnah Road in Karachi.
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Accession Of Junagadh And A Disputed Legacy
While the Nawab’s indulgences became the stuff of legend, his decision to accede to Pakistan left a complicated legacy. India’s swift annexation of Junagadh after the 1948 Plebiscite, in which the majority of Junagadh’s residents voted to join India, has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan ever since.
The Plebiscite was held on February 20, 1948. According to records available in public domain, as many as 1,90,870 registered voters, out of the total 2,01,457, cast their votes, and only 91 votes were in favour of accession to Pakistan. In the five neighbouring territories too, where a referendum was held, few votes — only 39 to be precise, out of the total 31,434 — were cast in favour of Pakistan.
India views Junagadh’s integration in 1948 as final, based on the will of its people, but Pakistan continues to raise the issue on international platforms.
Muhammad Jahangir Khan, the grandson of Mahabat Khan III who lived in Karachi all his life, also dreamt of the “independence” of the Junagadh State, but could never get to visit the land of his forefathers. “My grandfather signed for accession to Pakistan in 1947 out of his love for this country only to lose his state as a result of the action. We are still fighting for our state. The matter is pending in the United Nations,” he had said, according to a Dawn report.
Jahangir Khan died in July 2023.
When Imran Khan released the political map showing Junagadh as part of Pakistan in 2020, India had called it “an exercise in political absurdity”.
India has not officially reacted to the latest claim by Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. However, Shehnaz Babi, a member of the Babi family that ruled Junagadh once, said Pakistan was “day-dreaming”.
“Whatever they are saying is like day-dreaming, it can never be possible” Shehnaz told Ahmedabad Mirror, adding: “Junagadh is a part of India and can never be a part of Pakistan.”
This report first appeared on ABP Asmita, and has been translated from Gujarati.
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